After London

Clearly, these savage terrorists have no political sense. One only needs to know the character of England, Great Britain and the United Kingdom to know that the train and bus bombings will be received as both a challenge and as the ultimate act of disrespect. Some of the shine may be off many British traditions, but that sense of order and history still survives in working order.

Certainly enough remains to provide vital support and allegiance to Prime Minister Tony Blair as he stands firm in the needed resolve to win this long and bizarre war on terror.

One tangible manifestation of that resolve will likely be an extraordinarily strict personal identification process that up to now has lacked general support.

But the terrorists lost more than they won in London. Within hours of the bombings, the world's financial markets poked a finger in the eye of Islamic extremists by actually rising. If this attack was indeed the work of Al Qaeda, it illustrated that diabolical movement's inability to cripple the world's economy, as it has said it wants to.

Now as the G-8 conference comes to an end, even the Anglophobe and somewhat anti-American French President Jacques Chirac will have to reassess his views on these issues of war and peace.

While he's at it, he might want to reconsider his insulting opinions about English cuisine, which embarrassed him when they inadvertently became public just days before his trip to Scotland.

Perhaps this taste of terror, certain to bring the English to a common table, might also be a meal Chirac will long remember.